thanksgiving – Barbecuebible.comhttp://barbecuebible.com
Fri, 09 Dec 2016 15:00:48 +0000en-UShourly112 Simple Tips for Making This Your Best Thanksgiving Everhttp://barbecuebible.com/2016/11/21/12-tips-grilled-smoked-thanksgiving/
http://barbecuebible.com/2016/11/21/12-tips-grilled-smoked-thanksgiving/#respondMon, 21 Nov 2016 19:00:44 +0000http://barbecuebible.com/?p=14988Photo by John Livingston. The most popular food holiday of the year is nearly upon us. And that means high anxiety or gustatory bliss. Here in Raichlandia, we practice a […]

From our barbecue family to yours, we wish you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

—Steven, Barbara, Nancy, Joanna, Moira, Molly Kay, and Rob

Start with the best bird you can find, one that is labeled organic or “all natural.” And this is very important: Make sure it’s fresh, never frozen. If it’s the former, it will have a USDA certification printed on the label. That designation protects you from unscrupulous retailers who thaw birds that have been frozen for 6 to 12 months and try to pass them off as “fresh.”

Heritage breed birds have great flavor (not to mention trendy cache), but can cost double, or even triple the cost of the Broad Breasted White that has become emblematic of American Thanksgivings. If you do invest in a heritage breed, it’s very important not to overcook it. Take it off the grill or smoker when the thigh meat reaches 160 degrees on an instant-read meat thermometer.

If you have acquired a frozen bird, be sure to thaw it properly. The safest way is in the refrigerator. Allow one day for every 4 pounds of turkey. If pressed for time, fill the kitchen sink with cold water and submerge the turkey, still in its wrapper. Change the water every 30 minutes to keep the bird cold. Allow about 30 minutes per pound. Never thaw a turkey in hot water or at room temperature. And don’t forget to remove the giblets from both the main and neck cavities of the turkey before roasting. Yeah, I know this sounds obvious, but it’s easy to forget the neck cavity.

The USDA no longer recommends washing raw turkey or other poultry under cold running water as the raw juices can travel up to 3 feet and contaminate your kitchen.

Do not, I repeat, do not stuff your bird before smoking or grilling. For starters, the stuffing steams rather than browns. And it’s hard to bring your stuffing up to a safe 165 degrees without overcooking the breast meat. Instead, pile the stuffing in a disposable aluminum pan and smoke-roast it at 350 degrees for about an hour. Great flavor and better crust.

Running out of fuel during a cook—especially on Thanksgiving—will tarnish your reputation as a pit master. Most stores will be closed on Thanksgiving, so stock up on charcoal, wood, pellets, or propane before the holiday. (If using propane, hook up a fresh tank.)

If working on a standard kettle grill, you can increase the clearance between the lid and the turkey breast by using the metal ring that came with your rotisserie.

In my book, smoke-roasting is the best way to cook a turkey. The turkey takes on a subtle smoke flavor, but because you’re roasting at higher temperatures (325 to 350 degrees), the skin gets crispy. A turkey smoked from start to finish will have tough, rubbery skin. While you’re at it, smoke turkey broth alongside the bird to use in the gravy.

If the bird is browning too fast, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.

Have a plan in place for transferring the turkey from the grill or smoker to the kitchen. Insulated food gloves or meat claws are a huge help. Or you can run a clean wooden dowel through the main and neck cavities and enlist the help of a second person to help you carry it.

Allow the turkey to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving it for maximum moistness.

]]>http://barbecuebible.com/2016/11/21/12-tips-grilled-smoked-thanksgiving/feed/0Our Best Thanksgiving Turkey Yet: Butter Under the Skinhttp://barbecuebible.com/2016/11/18/best-thanksgiving-turkey-under-skin/
http://barbecuebible.com/2016/11/18/best-thanksgiving-turkey-under-skin/#commentsFri, 18 Nov 2016 13:00:42 +0000http://barbecuebible.com/?p=14974The last three years, I have brined my Thanksgiving turkey with bourbon and aromatics and smoke-roasted it on a kettle grill, the lid raised by resting it on a rotisserie […]

]]>The last three years, I have brined my Thanksgiving turkey with bourbon and aromatics and smoke-roasted it on a kettle grill, the lid raised by resting it on a rotisserie ring. (Notice I said smoke-roasted—not smoked. The former is done at a higher temperature to ensure crisp skin.)

It’s simply the best turkey I know how to make.

But what if there was a different way to cook, a better way? I searched my memory for the turkey I learned to make half a lifetime ago at La Varenne cooking school in Paris.

The French didn’t know from wood smoke. They still don’t. But they did use a technique singularly well-adapted to our well-endowed American turkeys where the ample breast meat tends to dry out.

The secret? Loosen the skin from the bird, place herbed butter laced with cognac between the skin and the meat, and roast the bird at a moderate temperature. You’ll get to practice some avian surgery and get a great turkey in the process.

In a nutshell, the butter melts into the breast meat, keeping it moist and adding extra flavor. Of course, back in the day, we also placed paper-thin slices of fresh truffle under the skin. Truffle is that fragrant tuber found in France and Italy that costs as much per pound as a plane trip to Paris or Rome. But you can get amazing results if you use a mix of fresh herbs.

So how do you loosen the skin from the meat? Very carefully. I explain how in the recipe. (You can also check How to Grill for step-by-step instructions.) The technique feels a little strange at first, but with practice, you’ll become a pro.

As the great 20th century chef Fernand Point exclaimed when asked the secret to great cuisine: “Du beurre, du beurre, et encore beurre!” (“Butter, butter, and more butter!”) Amen!

]]>http://barbecuebible.com/2016/11/18/best-thanksgiving-turkey-under-skin/feed/1A Star Is Born: Grilled “Turketta” for Thanksgivinghttp://barbecuebible.com/2016/11/15/grilled-turketta-thanksgiving/
http://barbecuebible.com/2016/11/15/grilled-turketta-thanksgiving/#respondTue, 15 Nov 2016 13:00:17 +0000http://barbecuebible.com/?p=14948People get cranky when you mess with Thanksgiving. As a newlywed, I once misguidedly served lobster on the most popular food holiday of the year. We were a small group, […]

As a newlywed, I once misguidedly served lobster on the most popular food holiday of the year. We were a small group, and I rationalized that the Pilgrims may have eaten lobster that first Thanksgiving. I had to keep a low profile for a while after that.

We Americans do love our Thanksgiving food traditions: the mountains of buttery mashed potatoes; the boatloads of gravy; the pie; the stuffing; and of course, the big bird in all its Rockwell-esque glory. Despite our cultural and ideological differences, 88 percent of us eat turkey on the fourth Thursday of November, according to the National Turkey Federation. Pretty incredible, huh?

But truth be told, most of those Thanksgiving birds aren’t so great. The modern turkey’s architecture is to blame: the breast meat usually overcooks and dries out before the dark meat is ready to serve.

Not that cooks haven’t tried to solve that problem. Who among us has not soaked cheesecloth in butter and draped it over the turkey breast, or cooked the bird in a paper bag, or started the turkey breast side down, awkwardly—even dangerously—flipping it to finish cooking? A friend actually serves his turkey in two courses—white meat followed by dark. (As if the Thanksgiving meal wasn’t hectic enough.) And then there’s spatchcocking, which in my opinion—and Steven agrees with me—looks like you ran over the bird with a steamroller.

Well, this year, I’ve opted for something radically different.

Introducing “turketta”, a boned, rolled, stuffed, grilled turkey breast inspired by Italy’s porchetta. You slather it with a fragrant paste of fresh sage, rosemary, fennel, garlic, and orange zest and cure it in the refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours. Advantages? There are many:

Turketta is perfect for smaller gatherings (one feeds 4 to 6 people); make two if you want leftovers as turketta makes amazing sandwiches.

Can be assembled a day or two ahead.

The seasoning paste acts like a dry brine, resulting in succulent and juicy meat that cooks faster than a whole bird.

Can be indirect grilled or rotisseried, freeing up oven space in the kitchen.

Because it’s boneless, carving is a cinch.

Diners get moist meat and crisp skin with every slice.

Takes up less space in your refrigerator than a whole bird, especially one submerged in a container of wet brine.

Clean-up is significantly easier.

The most difficult thing about making turketta is deboning the turkey breast. A sharp, flexible boning knife helps. If you’re unsure of your knife skills, there are several helpful resources online to guide you through the process. (Of course, your butcher could make quick work of the task.) The important thing is to relax and take your time. I was working in a minimally outfitted kitchen when I did my recent turketta practice run, which slowed me down a little. Undistracted, prep for the entire recipe should take 45 minutes or less. That includes making stock for gravy from the turkey breast carcass.

Everyone at the table was oohing and aahing over the turketta when it came off the grill. Lacking a proper platter due to a move, we simply served the roast on a black baking sheet with grilled orange quarters and sliced fennel. Next time, I would take Steven’s suggestion and tuck herbs under the skin before tying with butcher’s string.

]]>http://barbecuebible.com/2016/11/15/grilled-turketta-thanksgiving/feed/0Thanksgiving: You Gotta Take Sideshttp://barbecuebible.com/2016/11/11/grilled-thanksgiving-side-dish-recipes/
http://barbecuebible.com/2016/11/11/grilled-thanksgiving-side-dish-recipes/#respondFri, 11 Nov 2016 14:00:16 +0000http://barbecuebible.com/?p=14925America’s favorite food holiday is barreling towards us. Will YOU be ready? We at BarbecueBible.com have created a Thanksgiving menu that will not only thrill your family and friends, but […]

]]>America’s favorite food holiday is barreling towards us. Will YOU be ready? We at BarbecueBible.com have created a Thanksgiving menu that will not only thrill your family and friends, but give you an excuse to take the party outdoors to your grill or smoker. Added advantage: this relieves some of the inevitable congestion in the kitchen.

Turkey normally grabs the spotlight, but we focus on the side dishes—those beloved supporting players that make your bird look even better. (Don’t worry: Next week, we’ll give you two spectacular approaches to turkey cooked, of course, over live fire.)

Drum roll, please!

“Cider Press”: Inspired by Chimayo, New Mexico, home of superlative apple orchards, this colorful apple cider and tequila cocktail (the rose color comes from crème de cassis) can be made by the pitcher. For an even more interesting cocktail, substitute mezcal for the tequila and smoke the cider with a handheld smoker before combining with the remaining ingredients.

Cranberry-Walnut Planked Brie: A starter that takes just minutes to assemble is not a bad thing on a hectic cooking day like Thanksgiving: a round of creamy French brie is topped with cranberry jelly or even prepared cranberry sauce, then studded with walnut halves. It combines two distinctly American live fire cooking techniques—planking and smoking. Serve with, what else, grilled bread.

Salt Slab Squash: When the Pilgrims and Indians celebrated the first Thanksgiving, some foods—oysters, for example—were likely roasted on hot rocks. Our favorite rock of all is a thick salt slab. Once soft, you stuff the squash halves with a sweet-salty-savory filling of bacon, pecans, and maple syrup.

Grilled Corn Pudding: Nothing says comfort food like creamy nutmeggy corn pudding. This one acquires its smoky caramel flavor from charring the corn on the grill. For even more smoke flavor, smoke the cream using a handheld smoker or in a shallow pan in your smoker.

Bacon-Bourbon Apple Crisp: This dessert has been a family favorite since we first tasted (make that devoured) it at the Outermost Inn on Martha’s Vineyard. It’s apple pie’s walk on the dark side, with bacon, bourbon, and wood smoke. Need we say more?

]]>http://barbecuebible.com/2016/11/11/grilled-thanksgiving-side-dish-recipes/feed/0Grilled or Smoked: Our Best Thanksgiving Side Disheshttp://barbecuebible.com/2015/11/24/grilled-smoked-thanksgiving-side-dishes/
http://barbecuebible.com/2015/11/24/grilled-smoked-thanksgiving-side-dishes/#respondTue, 24 Nov 2015 14:00:50 +0000http://barbecuebible.com/?p=12014In most households, turkey is the rock star of Thanksgiving dinner. Smoke-roasted whole and brought to the table with fanfare, it is the enduring symbol of this uniquely American holiday. […]

]]>In most households, turkey is the rock star of Thanksgiving dinner. Smoke-roasted whole and brought to the table with fanfare, it is the enduring symbol of this uniquely American holiday.

But have you noticed, once plates are piled high, our forks tend to go to one of the side dishes? We can’t get enough of our herbed stuffing/dressing, candied yams, corn pudding, smashed potatoes, and inexplicably, old-school green bean casserole.

Without straying too far from the prescribed path, may I suggest that you bring the awesomeness of smoke and fire to the Thanksgiving table while simultaneously freeing up valuable real estate in your oven on this, the busiest cooking day of the year? Rest assured: the celebrants of the first Thanksgiving used live fire.

For years, the Raichlen family has been smoke-roasting its turkey over wood or charcoal. (I can’t remember the last time we ate an oven-roasted bird.) Over time, our favorite side dishes moved to the grill or smoker, too. And that means everything—from smoked turkey liver pate served as a starter to dessert. This year, we’re looking forward to the hickory-smoked pumpkin pie developed by BBQ University alumna and guest blogger Toni Dash.)

Below are a few of the side dishes that will be on our table this year.

Best wishes to all for a wonderful Thanksgiving from my wife and me, Nancy, Rob, Joanna, Molly Kay, and the whole crew at Workman Publishing and BarbecueBible.com.

Smoked Creamed Corn: This smoky creamy corn was one of the most popular recipes on the set of the Project Smoke taping. The crew scraped the cast iron skillet clean. (That’s when I know we have a winner.) And if you live in an apartment or condominium and don’t own a smoker, don’t worry: you can smoke the ingredients on an indoor smoker such as Camerons.

Smoked Mushroom Bread Pudding: Need another reason to be thankful on Thanksgiving? Try this insanely rich bread pudding from my forthcoming book, Project Smoke. (Order your copy here.) The pudding starts with egg- and butter-rich brioche. (Any artisanal bread will work.) Exotic mushrooms are available at most supermarkets, or use fresh button mushrooms or portobellos.

Smoked Turkey Jus: On Thanksgiving, it seems like you can never have enough gravy. People pour it profligately over turkey, mashed potatoes, and dressing. This year, introduce the haunting flavor of smoke to your gravy by smoking chicken or turkey broth alongside the bird. Don’t forget to collect the drippings.

Bacon-Apple Crisp: If you can bear to stray from pumpkin pie or feel compelled to offer two desserts to your Thanksgiving guests, I recommend this Bacon-Apple Crisp. Put it on the grill when you sit down to dinner, and it will be ready when you are. (As it is cooked in a cast iron skillet, it stays warm for quite some time.)

]]>http://barbecuebible.com/2015/11/24/grilled-smoked-thanksgiving-side-dishes/feed/0Applying Lessons Learned at BBQ U: Pumpkin Pie Hits the Grillhttp://barbecuebible.com/2015/11/20/grilled-pumpkin-pie/
http://barbecuebible.com/2015/11/20/grilled-pumpkin-pie/#respondFri, 20 Nov 2015 13:00:36 +0000http://barbecuebible.com/?p=11957If barbecue is a religion, most of the time I find myself preaching to the choir. But last year at Barbecue University I had the opportunity to make a convert. […]

]]>If barbecue is a religion, most of the time I find myself preaching to the choir. But last year at Barbecue University I had the opportunity to make a convert. Her name was Toni Dash and she came to BBQ U with terrific writing skills (from her blog, BoulderLocavore.com) but little experience grilling. Well, to judge from this innovative dessert—grilled pumpkin pie with a smoked gingersnap crust—she caught the holy fire. She’s also a mind reader, because I was thinking: why not grill the pumpkin too? I’d do it caveman-style. That is, take a whole pumpkin and place it directly on the embers. Roast it until charred black on all sides and soft enough to pierce easily with a metal skewer, turning with tongs so it cooks evenly. This will take about 15 minutes. Transfer it to a sheet pan to cool, then scrape away the blackened skin and seeds. Puree the flesh in a blender, then strain to remove any stringy pieces. Awesome just got better.

And now, that grilled and smoked pumpkin pie.

–Steven

I had the good fortune to meet Steven Raichlen this past summer when I attended his Barbecue University in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I attended BBQ U with the goal of upping my grilling game both for personal and professional reasons. I was at BBQ U about 2.4 nanoseconds before I realized I actually had NO grilling game; I simply knew how to grill hot dogs and sausages without burning them.

In the following three days the world of grilling and smoking ripped wide open for me. There was almost more information than I could take in, and suffice it to say I walked away with a vast array of techniques and knowledge to jump into my own experimentation. Following BBQU I grilled daily during the summer and began to experiment with smoking food (being from Colorado where marijuana is legal, a clarifying noun after the word “smoking” is key). While other girls I know are coveting the latest fashions, I’m pining over a new barrel smoker and wondering how many grilling devices would be considered “too many” to own.

I tend to like culinary roads less traveled, so love thinking up unexpected recipes for the grill. Being fall, with busy cooking holidays looming large, I wanted to share a way I’ve been using the grill to keep my oven free for other purposes: Grilled Pumpkin Pie with Hickory-Smoked Ginger Snap Crust. All of the cooking happens on the grill itself and the recipe steps are simple. The initial step of smoking the ginger snaps gives an additional depth of flavor to the pie, setting it apart as a unique dessert. I used a very easy method of dry wood chips on heavy duty foil for this short smoking. This leaves the grill ready to transition to cooking the pie crust and then the pie, without the difficulty of removing hot wood chips from charcoal or a smoking box.

I will admit as I was creating the recipe I did hear Steven in my head asking, “why don’t you grill that pumpkin?!” It did cross my mind; however, in the spirit of keeping things simple I used prepared pumpkin puree. Sugar pumpkin slices could be lightly oiled, sprinkled with fall spices and grilled until soft enough to process through a food processor for the pumpkin puree as well.

]]>http://barbecuebible.com/2015/11/20/grilled-pumpkin-pie/feed/012 Dos and Don’ts to Cook the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkeyhttp://barbecuebible.com/2015/11/17/how-to-cook-thanksgiving-turkey/
http://barbecuebible.com/2015/11/17/how-to-cook-thanksgiving-turkey/#commentsTue, 17 Nov 2015 17:00:10 +0000http://barbecuebible.com/?p=11963Is it just me, or does America seem even more Thanksgiving-obsessed than ever? Practice turkeys. Turchettas. Turduckens. Brining kits. We just can’t seem to wait for this festival (make that […]

]]>Is it just me, or does America seem even more Thanksgiving-obsessed than ever? Practice turkeys. Turchettas. Turduckens. Brining kits. We just can’t seem to wait for this festival (make that orgy) of food, football, and family (not necessarily in that order).

T-day may be the country’s favorite secular holiday, but it’s a bad time for Meleagris gallopavo. According to the National Turkey Federation, 88 percent of Americans will eat turkey on Thanksgiving. That statistic is even more remarkable when you factor in our foreign-born population and vegetarians.

It’s no secret that turkeys destined for the Raichlen table never see the inside of an oven. No, our turkeys cook in one of my many grills or smokers. Because my staff and I field so many questions from people determined to cook at least part of the meal outdoors this Thanksgiving, we decided to publish our Turkey Dos and Don’ts list early. In a separate blog post, we’ll also share recipes for our favorite side dishes—you guessed it—all cooked on grills or smokers outdoors.

Do buy an organic or heritage turkey. Better texture and flavor and you know it was raised wholesomely and humanely. For me, the ideal size is 12 to 14 pounds; I’d rather cook two birds this size than one 24-pound monster.

Don’t buy turkeys that have been pre-injected with saline solution. Why pay for water (up to 15 percent for some turkeys) when you can brine the bird yourself—without chemical additives. (Read the fine print on the packaging.) Note: birds labeled “kosher” have already been pre-brined and will be unpleasantly salty if you brine them a second time at home.

Do buy a fresh turkey. Or if it’s frozen, budget enough time to thaw it in the refrigerator. Figure on 24 hours for every 4 pounds, so a 12-pound turkey needs 3 full days. If time is tight, submerge the unopened turkey in a sink full of cold water (40 degrees or less). Replace the water as necessary to keep it cold.

Don’t attempt to thaw a frozen turkey at room temperature. The outside will thaw; the inside won’t; and you increase the risk of bacterial contamination.

Do remove the giblets from the main and front cavities. Smoke the turkey liver to make pate. Smoke the neck, heart, and gizzard to make smoked turkey stock.

Don’t stuff your turkey. By the time the dressing reaches a safe temperature of 165 degrees, the turkey itself will be irredeemably overcooked. (Not to mention the stuffing steamed and gummy.) Instead, spoon the dressing into a large cast iron skillet and smoke-roast or indirect grill it to maximize the ratio of buttery crisp crust to moist center.

Do keep the bird moist by brining, injecting, or spreading butter under the skin. A soak in a saline solution (brining) adds moistness to the meat and keeps it there. Injecting lets you shoot melted butter and broth deep into the breast and thigh meat. Spreading butter or herb butter (and why not, sliced truffles) under the skin is a traditional French technique for keeping the breast moist and flavorful, plus it gives you supernaturally crisp skin.

Don’t spatchcock your turkey. Yeah, it’s all the rage to remove the backbone and cook the bird flat in an attempt to keep the breast meat moist. But turkey is the undisputed centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal and shouldn’t look like it got run over by an all-terrain vehicle. Remember, we eat with our eyes as well as our palates.

Do smoke-roast your turkey on a charcoal grill or gas grill fitted with a smoker box or smoker pouch. You need a moderately high heat (325 to 400 degrees F) to crisp the turkey skin. But wood smoke adds a tremendous depth of flavor. That’s why I prefer to smoke-roast my turkey (indirect grill it with wood smoke) over traditional low heat smoking.

Don’t smoke your turkey low and slow. Yes, you get moist meat and a great flavor, but the skin will be tough and rubbery. There’s an easy work around: smoke the turkey at 225 to 250 degrees until you reach an internal temperature of around 130 degrees. Then increase the smoker temperature to 350 degrees (or move it to a grill set up for indirect grilling), brush the outside of the bird with melted butter, and indirect grill it until the skin is crisp and brown and the bird is cooked through.

Do baste your bird with melted butter or olive oil or bacon fat (or a combination). Baste once an hour to help the skin brown and crisp. Don’t baste with turkey stock or barbecue sauce, which would make the skin soggy.

Don’t serve your turkey hot off the grill or smoker. Lay a sheet of foil over it (don’t bunch it around the bird or you’ll make the skin soggy) and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes. This relaxes the meat and makes it more juicy.

A few final tips:

Lest you look like the biggest turkey at the feast, don’t run out of fuel on T-Day! (Remember, most stores will be closed for the holiday.) Stock up in advance on charcoal, wood, and smoking chips or chunks. If your set-up relies on propane, make sure you begin the cook with a full tank.

Place a large disposable roasting pan underneath the turkey if you want to collect drippings for gravy. This year, I’ll be smoking pre-made turkey stock alongside the bird for gravy with incomparable flavor. I did this for the Thanksgiving episode of Project Smoke and it was a huge hit with the crew.

]]>http://barbecuebible.com/2015/11/17/how-to-cook-thanksgiving-turkey/feed/4How to Carve a Turkeyhttp://barbecuebible.com/2014/11/21/carve-turkey/
http://barbecuebible.com/2014/11/21/carve-turkey/#commentsFri, 21 Nov 2014 13:00:28 +0000http://barbecuebible.com/?p=8660You sourced an organic or heritage turkey, brined it with whiskey and maple syrup for a day and a night, and slow-smoked it over hardwood. You basted it conscientiously and […]

]]>You sourced an organic or heritage turkey, brined it with whiskey and maple syrup for a day and a night, and slow-smoked it over hardwood. You basted it conscientiously and made gravy from the smoky drippings. Now comes the fun part—or for many people the scary part—to carve it in front of an expectant hungry crowd.

Well, we here at BarbecueBible.com have you covered. When you follow these six simple steps, anyone can approach the cutting board with confidence (after making sure that everyone has had ample opportunity to admire that gorgeous bird whole) and take a long, slender carving knife in hand. You’ll also need a carving fork or short spring-loaded tongs.

Note: Never carve or serve a turkey hot out of the oven. Let it rest, loosely draped with aluminum foil, for at least 20 minutes. The bird will be juicier.

To remove one of the breast halves, use a sharp carving knife to make a lengthwise cut down one side of the breast bone.

Remove the half breast and set it aside.

Pull the leg away from the body with a carving fork. Slide the knife down the carcass through the leg joint and remove the leg. Set it aside.

Pull the wing away from the body with the carving fork. Slide the knife down the ribcage through the wing joint and remove the wing. Set it aside.

Cut the breast crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices, or as thick as you desire.

Separate the thigh from the drumstick by cutting through the joint. Place both pieces on the serving platter (along with the sliced breast and wing) and repeat on the other side of the turkey.

There’s a big difference in texture and taste between ice-hard frozen supermarket turkeys and fresh organic birds from your natural foods store or farmers’ market. The organic bird may seem a little tougher, but you can’t beat the flavor—or the knowledge that it’s free of hormones and chemical additives. You’ll need to order it ahead, so don’t wait until the last minute.

So how big a turkey should you buy? Figure on 1 1/2 pounds per person. This will make you feel properly overfed (as you should at Thanksgiving) and leave you with welcome leftovers.

But bigger isn’t always better. For me, a 12- to 14-pound turkey is ideal. For large gatherings, I’d rather cook two 12-pounders than one 24-pound monster. (It’s easier to control the cooking.)

A lot of industrially raised birds come pre-injected with stock, water, and/or butter or vegetable oil—up to 15 percent. Water is cheaper than meat, which is one reason processors do it. Try to buy your turkey un-injected. You can always brine it yourself (see below).

The best and safest way to thaw a turkey is in the refrigerator. Depending on the size of the bird, you’ll need to start thawing it up to five days ahead: figure on one day for every four pounds of turkey. Alternatively, thaw the turkey in a deep sink or cooler filled with cold water: Change the water every 30 minutes. It’s important for food safety reasons to keep the water at 40 degrees or less. You can add resealable bags of ice to the water to keep it cold. Never thaw the turkey in hot water as the outside will thaw long before the inside, risking dangerous bacterial growth.

Most turkeys come with some of the innards (liver, heart, gizzard) and neck in a plastic bag secreted inside. These are called giblets. There are two places to look for them: in the main cavity and in the front cavity (under the neck skin). This may sound obvious, but once I was served a roast turkey that still had the innards in their plastic bag inside.

Use the turkey liver for making chopped or sautéed liver. (For extra flavor, smoke it before chopping.) While you’re at it, smoke the heart, gizzard, and neck and use them for making turkey soup or stock. Tip: smoked turkey necks are one of the “secret” ingredients in a great Louisiana gumbo. (Just ask David Rauch of Wayne Jacob’s Smokehouse in LaPlace, Louisiana.)

One thing that makes a turkey challenging to cook is that the legs (the dark meat) take longer to cook than the breast (the white meat). This explains why so much turkey tastes dried out. One way to keep the breast moist even while cooking the legs to a safe temperature is brining. Another is injecting. A third technique is spreading butter under the skin of the turkey (find out how to loosen the skin of a chicken or turkey in How to Grill or in this Turkey Adobo recipe). A fourth method is to smoke-roast the turkey “beer can chicken style” on a tall-boy can of beer. A fifth method is to deep-fry the turkey—admittedly not barbecuing or grilling, but you also do it outdoors (you can find a recipe in Man Made Meals).

Despite the name, stuffing is best cooked separately, not in the turkey cavity. For one, you can brown and crisp the top. (In the bird it merely steams.) You also greatly reduce the risk of bacterial contamination by cooking the stuffing separately.

Turkey should be cooked to at least 165 degrees. To check the temperature, insert the probe of an instant-read meat thermometer into the deepest part of the thigh (but not touching the bone).

Never carve or serve a turkey hot out of the oven. Let it rest, loosely tented with aluminum foil, for at least 20 minutes. (Lay a the sheet of foil over the bird—don’t wrap it.) This “relaxes” the meat and restores the juices. In our next blog post, we’ll show you step by step with photos how to carve a turkey.

]]>http://barbecuebible.com/2014/11/18/12-steps-thanksgiving-turkey/feed/1Battle of the Birds: Brining vs. Injectinghttp://barbecuebible.com/2014/11/10/brining-vs-injecting-turkey/
http://barbecuebible.com/2014/11/10/brining-vs-injecting-turkey/#commentsMon, 10 Nov 2014 17:15:13 +0000http://barbecuebible.com/?p=8494The contentious mid-term elections might be over, but American households are grappling with another controversy: Should this year’s Thanksgiving turkey be brined, injected, both, or none of the above? Like […]

]]>The contentious mid-term elections might be over, but American households are grappling with another controversy: Should this year’s Thanksgiving turkey be brined, injected, both, or none of the above?

Like skillful politicians, let’s start by trying to find common ground.

I think we can all agree that a lot of turkey comes to the table dry. So dry that it takes a generous, what-the-hell pour from the gravy boat to make it palatable.

The reason is anatomical: the modern turkey is a large, irregularly shaped composite of white and dark meat (the ratio is about 70 percent to 30 percent). Ideally, the breast would be cooked to a food safe internal temperature of 165 degrees, while the legs and thighs, which have more connective tissue and fat, achieve maximum tenderness at 180 degrees. But cooking and serving the parts separately just can’t match the eye-popping appeal of serving that smoke-burnished, handsomely browned holiday bird whole.

Many workarounds have been championed over the years. The two I find most effective (especially when subjecting a bird to the dry heat of the grill) are brining and injecting.

BRINING TURKEY

Without getting too scientific, soaking certain animal proteins in saltwater prior to cooking helps keep them moist. Not only do they absorb some of the liquid—their weight can increase by as much as 8 percent—but the salt denatures the protein strands within the muscles, discouraging shrinkage. With its high proportion of white meat, which has inherently less fat than dark, turkey is an excellent candidate for brining. (Read more about brining, and get a terrific Bourbon- and Maple-Brined Turkey recipe.)

• Because it, too, has absorbed the brine, the skin will not brown and crisp as readily as skin that hasn’t been brined. To overcome this problem, pat the turkey dry with paper towels after brining and let the turkey sit on a rack inside a rimmed baking sheet, uncovered, in the refrigerator for several hours before cooking.

• Drippings will be salty. Keep this in mind if you intend to make gravy.

• A significant amount of refrigerator space, always at a premium around Thanksgiving, must be reserved for the turkey and its brine. Alternatively, put the turkey and brine into a clean insulated cooler and weight with leak-proof bags of ice. Change the ice as needed.

• Brining takes time—up to 24 hours for a whole turkey.

• Brining is not recommended for many brands of mass-produced turkeys which have already been injected with solutions, or in the case of kosher turkeys, already dry-brined.

INJECTING TURKEY

With this method you get to play doctor, using an oversize hypodermic-like syringe called an injector to deliver a thin, flavorful liquid deep into muscle tissue. For turkey and other poultry, the injection mixture usually contains broth and melted butter with optional wine, bourbon, fruit juice, maple syrup, and/or other water-soluble ingredients for additional flavor. Avoid coarsely ground spices, which will clog the needle.

To load your injector, depress the plunger, dip the needle in the injector sauce, then pull the plunger back to draw in the sauce. Insert the needle into the deepest part of the thighs, drumsticks, and breast, pushing the plunger to disperse the liquid throughout the meat. (Try my recipe for Cajun Injector Sauce.)

Advantages of injecting turkey:

• Injecting works faster than brining. You can inject the bird immediately before cooking.

• Fats like melted butter, duck fat, or olive oil can be delivered deep into the breast meat, increasing its succulence.

• Because the liquid is delivered under the skin, the skin tends to come out darker and crisper than that of a brined bird.

• You can vary the taste of the turkey by adding cognac, maple syrup, lemon juice or other flavorings to the injector sauce.

• The injection process looks a lot more theatrical than brining, and can be done with great dramatic effect in front of guests. You can even let them participate.

Disadvantages of injecting turkey:

• Only water- or oil-soluble ingredients can be used in injector sauces. Solid ingredients, including coarsely ground spices, will clog the needle.

• Distribution of the liquid is not as uniform as it is for brining. In other words, some parts of the bird might be saturated while others are dry.

• The needle will leave track marks in the turkey. (For the record, this doesn’t bother me.)

• If an injection site is saturated, liquid will squirt from the holes, potentially hitting walls, counters, cabinets, etc. Some pit masters wrap their turkeys in plastic wrap before injecting, then remove it before cooking. I don’t bother.

I have used both methods with great success. But this year, with the rich-flavored but lean heritage turkeys we’re smoking, I’m going to brine.

Of course, there are people—you know who you are—who both brine and inject their turkeys before exposing them to the fire. Hey, sometimes more is more.

Brine, inject, or both? Post your vote—along with photos and any other turkey talk—on the Barbecue Board. And may the best bird win.